thread blog

The daily grind can wear on us in ways we don't recognize until it is too late sometimes. Work can be stressful, family life is chaotic, and time is moving too fast. So we look for conveniences to make things easier, like the drive-through, skipping a workout, or avoiding responsibilities via the four-inch screen in our hands. But all of those things can make matters worse and affect us more negatively in the long run. If you're run down, fed up, and stressed out, it's time to feel better with some self-care!

None of the below are meant to be strict rules, but rather guidelines to help you find your own 'happy.' Afterall, you want to be a positive impact on those around you, and that starts with you finding joy before you can spread it to others. You know when you get on an airplane, and they are going through the emergency procedures, and they say, "if the oxygen masks descend from the ceiling, place yours over your mouth and nose before assisting anyone else"? This is because if you don't take care of yourself first, you may run out of oxygen halfway through helping someone else, and then you become someone in need of help instead of someone who can help.

The same goes for happiness and joy; it begins with you, and then you will naturally radiate this incredible sense of peace to those around you. So to start, we are going to break this into three sections: Physical, Mental, and Emotional/Spiritual. Some of the tips in each section benefit more than just that segment, so it's a win-win!

With the chaotic craziness of every different tax form and the constant changes to the codes, it's no wonder we dread filing all these necessary evils. But here at Thread, we're trying to make that a little easier. We've created a convenient guide to help you fill out the 1095-C and keep you compliant!

Love is definitely in the air right now. And when you're in a role of leadership at your company, there are a few issues that can make love feel like the pits, like a messy office romance. But it's not all bad, especially if you have clear guidelines in place, with the dos and don'ts, along with consequences in black and white.

Loving your job comes down to a handful of steps, that while critical, are doable. While these rules apply to everyone, the details change from job to job. Regardless of your position, it comes down to a strong enough desire to be happy to motivate your efforts.

Why do you do it? From a personal perspective, why do you do what you do? What about your personality, interests, and passions drives you to this industry or position? Understanding how your work achievements fulfill personal goals will go a long way in loving your job. If you're coming home feeling unfulfilled, run-down, and generally unhappy, it's time to figure out where your job is misaligning from your life's path and rearrange the pieces. As a business professional specializing in human resources or business ownership, you may find that you enjoy masterminding success both in and out of your career. You may feel fulfilled knowing you had a hand in taking something from good to great because you can see how the right goal creates the right environment to attract the right people which ultimately leads to success. Find your why, write it down, and look at it daily.

How do you impact business? Knowing how your position aligns with the overall mission of your organization is a vital piece of loving your job. If you can't find the connection between what you do for the company and what the company is trying to achieve, seeing a reason to love your role is going to be hard. Start by understanding the goals of the business and then understand exactly what the purpose of your position is. If you're a professional in HR, your role isn't to listen to complaints and hire new employees, but rather you are tasked with aligning the organization individually and as a whole for success, including measuring the strengths of current and potential employees. Recognizing that your position is deeply impactful on the growth of the business and its forward progress goes a long way in gaining happiness in your work.

Learn about it and keep growing. When you were a few months into learning algebra/piano/basketball, you had gotten pretty good at it. Then you stopped practicing and moved on in life, and now it would probably take you some time to pick back up on it. Plus you're not really interested anymore because you didn't stick with it in the first place. You'll probably never love algebra or the piano because you didn't continue to strengthen your relationship with it, and that wisdom gem applies to everything in life, including your career. So you graduated with a degree in business management, and when you started full-time, you were excited, and every time you did something you thought about how it applied to something you learned in "Effective Leadership 2203." But time has passed, and just like the iPhone, new versions of management ideas come out all the time. If you stop researching your trade and sharpening your skills, you may find one day that you are behind and catching up will feel like an overwhelming chore. It is important to keep up with your industry, be part of networking groups, find a mentor, take a class, read articles, write articles, and have idea sessions. Without all these tools, you risk falling out of love with what you do. So register for that conference. Sign up for a course. Research new tools of the trade and keep yourself stimulated in your work to keep the love alive.

Know your core duties, so you can branch out, add responsibility, and try new things. Similar to knowing how your position impacts your organization's overall goal, knowing what each piece of your job description is can help you to move up faster. Finding responsibilities that you love and focusing on those more, or noticing responsibilities you dread or aren't even actually yours and delegating them or finding automation solutions can boost your satisfaction immensely.

The cloud is all but taking over how we use technology. From document storage to digital wallets, there is seemingly no end to what the cloud can do for you. While there is a great deal of personal benefit, the business side of the cloud can be life-changing; from how you work, to where you work, and the security of your business property (both physical and intellectual property).

The cloud controls so much and makes working on the go simpler while providing protection and real-time updates. While it is excellent for many things, the cloud offers three significant benefits to HR that can change the way you work. If your HR or HCM platform isn't in the cloud, you are missing out.

Let's start at the beginning: implementation and service. Working with a new software program used to be based on demos in-house, weeks of implementation with someone in your office installing applications on your server, transferring data, and setting up the software on each computer of every employee. And if you needed help after the fact, well that could mean run-around on the phone, or waiting for someone to be able to make it out to your office.

"You never get a second chance to make a (good) first impression" is standard advice doled out to job interviewees or new company hires. Companies should also consider this when they contemplate how to help make their new employees feel comfortable while getting up to speed as quickly and painlessly as possible. A positive onboarding experience should begin on day one, promoting a more natural adaptation to the company's culture, increasing employee retention and boosting overall morale.

Here are four simple actions employers can take:

1. Complete onboarding forms in advance.Hopefully, you utilize technology so you can avoid dumping an immediate avalanche of enrollment forms onto the new hire. Online onboarding will enable the new employee to complete most of the preliminary paperwork before the start date. Getting this out of the way will help make that first day more productive and enjoyable.

2. Equip the workstation or office.Make sure the new employee already has all of the necessary equipment and supplies in place - do not make them wait endlessly for a crucial piece of furniture/equipment/hardware to get them up and running. Having someone yell out, "Did we ever order a desk and computer for the new marketing guy?" doesn't exactly make the new guy or gal feel welcome or respected.

3. Assign a mentor or peer coach.Fans of the Seinfeld sitcom may recall an episode where George Costanza arrives on his first day at work only to sit alone and bored in a sparse, gloomy office. Suddenly, a man bursts through the door with a file in his hand and tells George to "work on the Penske file." George awkwardly responds that he will, but it was apparent to the audience that he had no idea how or where to begin.

George could have benefited from having been assigned a mentor or peer coach to provide insight into office protocol, organizational structure, etc. Many employees prematurely leave a new job because of insufficient orientation and a manager's unreasonable expectations. Mentoring goes a long way toward preventing the new employee from feeling lost or neglected by management.

4. Make it easy to meet other colleagues.Organize introductions to fellow employees at prearranged meetings, or schedule small lunch groups throughout the week. The new employee may have a hard time getting acquainted if everyone just eats their dry, tuna sandwiches hunched over their computers. Informal lunch gatherings provide a casual and relaxed way to meet other team members.

What else do you do to make a good first impression on your new employees?

daily thread

Threading People and Technology for a Better Workplace

If you negelect your employees you will loose the talent war. We will help you highlight your great benefits by implementing a customized platform that simplifies everything from hire to retire your whole company will love. Not only will you beat the competition with great people you will simplify payroll, HR, benefits, and time with easy to use technology.